Queens City Councilman Won’t Run for Weiner’s Seat
Queens City Councilman Eric Ulrich told NY1 that he will not run for former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s congressional seat, despite an endorsement by Rudy Giuliani. The special election is scheduled for Sept. 13. “I have a great job, I love what I do. I have the benefit of working with some really great people on the City Council and did I want to give up the rest of my term on the City Council and possibly getting re-elected in 2013 or even re-elected after that because of the term limits loophole, to be in Congress for a year and a half? That was something that I really had to think about. In talking with my family and friends, that was one of the reasons why I decided not to do this,” Ulrich told NY1.
New York Post Sued for Libel
The maid at the center of the Strauss-Kahn case filed a lawsuit against the New York Post yesterday, following a series of front-page headlines over the holiday weekend. The complaint alleges “reckless disregard” for the woman’s rights, which caused shame, humiliation, severe mental anguish, and emotional distress. The preliminary statement specifies five articles published by the Post on July 2, 3, and 4 and claims that all of the statements made by the newspaper portraying the plaintiff “as a woman who trades her body for money,” are false. The Post has been subject to at least five libel cases over the past year. According to a 2004 Pace University study, the New York Post is the least credible major news outlet in New York. It is the only publication to receive more not credible (44 percent) than credible (39 percent) responses in the study.
1,800 Cartons of Illegal Cigarettes Seized
Queens County District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced yesterday the arrest of two individuals and seizure of more than 1,800 cartons of illegal cigarettes and over $32,000 in cash. The defendants, Hongan Lai, 61, and Ming Gao, 33, both of Elmhurst are charged with violations of the New York State Tax Law. “Cigarette smuggling to evade state and local taxes is a multimillion dollar industry. The illegal sale of cigarettes cheats the city and state out of much needed revenue in these tough economic times,” said Brown in a press release. If convicted, Lai faces up to 15 years, and Gao 7 years in prison. The newly created Crimes Against Revenue Unit made the arrests as part of an ongoing investigation. The seized merchandise represents over $100,000 in lost revenue to the city and state.
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